THE POWER TO SEE WITH OTHER EYES THROUGH EMPATHY

Before criticizing that person … read this post completely and think again.

In this blog post we want to share and reflect on the power of empathy. Learn to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes before pointing the finger and simply criticizing them without further ado.

We will also show you what can be done to develop and cultivate empathy. Being able to empathize means being able to identify and understand another person’s actions and emotions.

Contents

  • It means being aware of others’ problems, without experiencing them
    • Another aspect on which empathy depends is emotional intelligence.
  • How to develop and increase empathy?
    • Learn to put yourself in the other’s place.
    • Ask others about their perspective. Become a “journalist”
    • Discover the similarities and not the differences

It means being aware of others’ problems, without experiencing them

Sometimes it becomes difficult to understand what a person is suffering if you have not suffered it for yourself. We can see infinite examples in the daily life of each one of us.

For example, it is relatively common for some people with a good job or who have never been unemployed to criticize people who are unemployed, thinking that they are lazy and really do not want to work. But if that same person suddenly experiences the difficulty of finding a job, their point of view can change dramatically.

Without a doubt, the ability to empathize with others is relative to a person’s ability to identify, feel and understand their own feelings.

Another aspect on which empathy depends is emotional intelligence.

It could be said that this type of intelligence has little or nothing to do with the intellectual capacity to study an emotion, but much more with the experience of these emotions. “It is about the human capacity to feel, understand, control and modify the emotional states of oneself and also of others.”

If a person has experienced a variety of emotional states and feelings such as happiness, joy, defeat, sadness, and anxiety, they will more easily understand another person’s problems and feelings.

Knowing how to empathize many times seems to be a gift of only a few due to the way they are. But we would lie if we said that it is not possible to work on it to better understand and understand the feelings of those around us.

How to develop and increase empathy?

3 basic points to achieve empathy

  1. Learn to put yourself in the other’s place.

Take a moment to think about the most recent situation in which you have ended up arguing or angry with your partner, your parents, your boss, for whatever reason.

Now try to remember that situation in the most impersonal way you can. Put aside for a moment (although it is not easy) your point of view, your arguments, your reasoning and try to analyze the discussion you had with that person from the other side.

Try to see the point of view (without yours appearing in between) of the person who made you so angry. Get in the shoes of that other person and free yourself from your arguments for a few moments. No matter how arrogant, illogical your opinion seems to you. Be impartial for a few minutes and analyze everything from the other side.

By understanding the reasons behind the other party’s behavior, you will have accomplished an important step in improving your level of empathy.

Do not be discouraged if you do not get it the first time, sometimes it is really difficult to discover and understand that particular reason.

  1. Ask others about their perspective. Become a “journalist”

As simple and useful as the title, ask others about their perspective on certain topics, emphasizing how they feel about a specific situation.

You will have a statement with which to make a comparison regarding your own impressions and feelings, and try to understand why from the perspective of others.

Many people do not do this simple exercise out of insecurity, for fear that the other person may change their minds. This makes us be limited, insecure and proud people.

You will be happier understanding other points of view and respecting them, because many times there is not a single reason, but different ways of seeing things.

An easier way perhaps to apply point 1, but with the addition of being in real time and without getting angry or arguing.

The trick is to act as a “journalist”, debate with the purpose of being able to go deeper into the opinions and feelings of the other party, trying to achieve the main objective, to empathize.

  1. Discover the similarities and not the differences

In this often self-centered world, it seems that many have forgotten that they are not the only ones in search of happiness. In general we tend to focus on ourselves and forget about others, which makes us see many more differences between ourselves and ‘them’. But the reality is that we are all the same.

No matter our ethical background, skin color, or sexual or religious orientation, we are all striving for happiness. Furthermore, each of us is trying to avoid sadness and suffering at best.

Therefore, instead of being blinded by the superficial differences that separate us from the other person, we should try to recognize the common points that we share with him.

If we really want to improve our empathic skills we must be willing to increase the understanding of the behavior of others.

We hope you liked the post and that it is useful in your social relationships.

Remember: being empathetic will make you more capable, have fewer problems, arguments and happier.

To work on it and try to put yourself in the other’s shoes, analyze as if you were a “journalist” their points of view and how it feels trying to prioritize things in common.